


A Night Swim

by thebeingunknown



Category: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Bay Movies)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), F/M, Fluff, Human/Turtle Relationships (TMNT), Kissing, Light Angst, POV Second Person, Requited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-20
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-16 08:26:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29573163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thebeingunknown/pseuds/thebeingunknown
Summary: Leo takes advantage of the quiet night to go for a swim.
Relationships: Leonardo (TMNT) & Original Female Character(s), Leonardo (TMNT)/Original Character(s)
Kudos: 8





	A Night Swim

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, this is written in second person lol—this was originally posted on my TMNT blog on Tumblr (@thirstyformutantninjaturtles) where I write quite a bit in 2nd person just to make things easier. I can't be bothered to come up with an OC for this kind of stuff; the highlight of the show is our big scaly boi.

Leo had always felt quite at home in the water, were it not too cold. In this "night", which was determined by when the Lair was quiet and asleep, he leisurely swam back and forth, and sometimes, would test to see just how long he could hold his breath underwater. 

He'd been alone with his thoughts until he heard footsteps from the adjacent hallway and swam to the edge, resting his elbows on it. He was expecting one of his brothers, but instead you came out, unaware you were being watched closely from the dark water as you passed by the pool. He sunk back down from the edge and kept his eyes on you. 

You were totally vulnerable right now, he thought. Easily, he could have grabbed you right then and pulled you in. Nevermind the fact that technically, you were safe in their home, that you perhaps didn't _need_ to be on guard, but the thought still crossed his mind. Years of conditioning to always be aware made him want to use this moment as a learning experience. There _was_ something oddly predatory about watching someone who did not know they weren't alone, he noted.

You'd gone into the kitchen to get a drink. You didn't even know Leo was up, because in reality it was about two o'clock in the afternoon, when usually, they'd all be asleep due to the long night prior. The Lair was dark and quiet, and if you didn't know better, would have assumed it was actually night. As you stepped by, you heard a voice from the water ask, "Do you forget everything you learn as soon as you're here?" 

"What?" you yelped in a start, flinching away from the edge of the pool. He'd been there the whole time? Right under your nose, though now that you looked, he was embarrassingly obvious. 

He lazily kicked off the wall and swam back, still watching you. "Don't assume you're safe just because you're here," he said. "Start making a habit of paying attention, y/n." 

Setting the drink down, you looked at him in annoyance, "Sorry, I didn't realize the boogeyman was going to jump out of the water at me."

The corner of his mouth lifted in a small, amused smirk. He quickly sunk back under the surface, and suddenly, you had no idea where he was. The last trace of him you saw was the air he that he blew out and bubbled to the surface. He was _gone_. Almost invisible in the water under the low lighting, which was next to none. Weary, you walked along the side of the pool. 

"Cut it out, Leo," you said, folding your arms. You wanted to be stubborn, but really, you knew you were making a conscious decision to play this game with him. You looked closely at the water, somewhat leaning over the edge. Trying to detect a shape moving. All you found was the surface rippling. 

From under the water, he lay still at the bottom, weighed down by his shell and looking up at your figure leaning over the edge. You couldn't see him; he knew that. But he could see _you_. 

He shook his head to himself. This little game of his held a dual purpose, but he was actually entertained by how it was going, and after a minute of complete still silence, he struck. Pushed off from the bottom of the pool with such power that he was at the top in only a second or to, beaching the surface right underneath you. He grabbed your arm and swiftly pulled you in with him, breaking your fall and the subsequent splash by catching the rest of you before sinking back down into the water. 

Messing you in this way wasn't normal for him. But for the first time since you'd appeared in their lives, he was truly feeling loose. Relaxed enough to abandon his usual rigid principals to play with you, something he had not yet done. 

You had to keep from accidentally inhaling water from being submerged so fast. And as quickly as you had gone under, you were back up again, Leo chuckling as you wiped the water from your eyes. 

You gave him a light splash in the face. "I'm guessing this is one of your 'teaching moments?'" 

He hummed in agreement and looked around idly, as if now that you were here, he was trying to figure out what to do next. Where was he going with this? He hadn't thought through to this part yet. So, he did what felt most natural. He swam to you and circled you partially, waiting for a response, and when you turned with him, he reached for your hand. The water was a little cool, but even then, you could still feel your face warm as his rough hand took yours in his, tugging you toward him. He caught you in his embrace, with his plastron against your stomach. All of this was coming to him on a moment-by-moment basis—the feelings he had were _real_. Not something he could ignore, and certainly not something he could squash, as much as he'd wanted to before. Slight anxiety bubbled up in him as he kept on, eyes locked on yours uncertainly. He didn't know if this could work. _This_ being you and him. It had already taken him a long time to warm up to your presence in his life. He opened his mouth to try to find something to say, but nothing came. 

Was he regretting this? 

He came back to his senses. The memories of being told that romance was not a part of their world. There was no rhyme or reason he could stick to this foreign assault of feelings, and the unsure barriers that he'd been made to put up all this time. The walls, they seemed to be dropping against his will; something he felt deeply uncomfortable with. 

Shaking himself free of his carelessness, he pushed you away. Not hard, but enough to put distance between the two of you, as if being close would undo all the work he'd put in to stay focused so far. 

Your heart panged at the action. He'd pulled you into him, and a second later, had pushed you away almost in the same beat. Leo was unreadable.

Solemn, he averted his gaze, turned half away from you. "I apologize," he mumbled. What was he apologizing for? he asked himself. What exactly? For dragging you in? Getting your hopes up? 

You put your hand on his shoulder, light as could be. In honesty, you weren't sure what was going on. But Leo was hardened all of a sudden once again, staring off in a random direction. 

"Was I...mistaken? Did I misread the situation?" you asked him, voice soft. 

He paused. You hadn't misread it at all. You'd gone along with it to perfection, and if everything were normal, more human, maybe it _could_ have been perfect. He internally argued with himself about whether the clear messages of affection you'd sent him until now had been a mistake. He asked himself whether he was mistaken or not—whether the familiar fluttering he felt in his stomach when you'd touched him was wrong.

He turned to you fully. "I can't always be there for you, y/n. I also can't promise your safety."

Throat tight, you responded, "No one can promise safety, Leo." 

"I know you're not stupid, y/n, you understand what I mean. If it were different, I..."

He held onto the ledge of the pool, looking as though he was going to hop out at any second. You kept yourself afloat by his shoulder and wanted him to look at you, but he wouldn't. His demeanor shifted to frustration.

He sighed. Shaking his head, he explained, "I don't have that much of a choice, y/n. This has been my world ever since I could remember. Just me, my brothers, and Master Splinter. In the shadows, protecting all these people who don't see _us._ Sometimes, I love it. I feel proud of myself and my family. But then I come home to an empty bed, and for some reason, that brothers me!" 

His hairless brows furrowed and he blew out a breath through his teeth. "And now you're here, and I have to think about all this shit, like 'can I even do this,' 'what am I supposed—'"

He almost fell back in the water when you wrapped your arms around his neck, no words said. He was so caught off-guard. You rested your chin on his hefty shoulder, feeling the scales of his jaw brush against your cheek. He was taken aback, unsure of what to do and floundering with himself. 

"Can we please just try?" 

_What if it doesn't work?_

"Leo?" 

_I shouldn't get distracted_. 

"Leo," you prompted him, pulling away enough to see his face. 

Arms enveloped your torso. His hand left the the edge of the pool and you both began to slowly sink, though neither of you cared. You couldn't see well under the water, but you didn't need to; all you needed was your sense of touch, and to feel the pair of lips against yours so softly.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm currently writing the NSFW spiritual successor to this that will also be posted ;3


End file.
